"Our team and staff are excited for the opportunity to compete at the MAC Championship and show just how far we've come over the past year," said NIU head coach Greg Hipp. "We feel confident that we can make a big move up within the MAC this weekend and our ladies are prepared for the challenge."

The Huskies capped their regular season two weeks ago at the Bradley Classic. Keyed by Meghan Heuer's 22nd-place finish, NIU finished with an 11th-place finish in the final team standings. Two other Huskies - Ali Olson and Leah Raffety - also finished in the top 100.

This weekend, the Huskies will take on the MAC's 11 other member institutions for the conference crown. Last season, NIU struggled en route to finishing in 11th place despite Courtney Oldenburg's 20th-place finish. Toledo enters the meet as the five-time defending champions.